Pyro Surf Review

[cram]

It's too cold to piss here.

Cut a hole in it. I did and it makes life alot easier. Because I use the shorty over the full piece, it doesn't make any difference to the warmth.

[wm]

OR, where are you.....? Liking to talk smart why aren't you liking to answer smart questions?

[Bagels9000]

I fuc*ing love my pyro surf, holy crap

[carkeek craig]

I know the feeling,
totally changes everything, doesn't it
Winter sailing feels low stress, like summer again, until you take it off

[ORSales]

OR, where are you.....? Liking to talk smart why aren't you liking to answer smart questions?

WM - where's the love man? I am not on this thing nearly as often as others...I am sorry I don't jump to answer your thread question. However, I should point out that "Icarumba" who posted answers above is the owner of Ocean Rodeo...so he has already provided a lot of insight into peoples questions. If you have a pressing need for answers I suggest you contact us directly at sales@oceanrodeo.com.

Anyway...onwards with the answers:

So to get this straight with the OR heater underwear (The Lyrca Polypro blend) you are referring to the one-piece or shorty piece that's on your site?

The Heat Long Underwear System is both the shorty and the long john. Wear them together for ultimate warmth, or separatly for either cool days or cold days.

I am interested why OR having spent so many years for developing that underwear didn't make such a simple thing as a fly in that long john.

Actually WM we did not spend years developing the underwear, that would be foolish. We spent years developing the drysuit.

We did spend a number of months (and a couple trips to Asia) researching the best material to use for the underwear though! We wanted a material that would:

- be nice and thick for warmth but still allow stretch to accomodate body movement
- move moisture away from the skin to the outside of the clothing
- would not pill or ball up after washing
- would not shrink in the dryer, and
- which would slide nicely against the inside of the suit.

These long johns are made for us by a factory who specialize in wetsuit production. As such we had them produce for us long johns and shorties based on their existing paterns used for wetsuits. It was an oversight and we are sorry, we have already made moves to have it addressed in future production runs.

anyone can comment? O.R.?

1) i can understand the gash part, and the water pressure closing it, but what happens if a seal gave way?

a) ...what would happen if a seal gave way what can i expect? (and will the double neoprene seal over the latex one help in this situation?) what can one do in such a situation to prevent worse?

Wilco, it is very unlikely a seal would give way on you while you are on the water. A far more likely time for it to fail would be when putting the suit on, as it goes through a lot of stretching when popping it over your neck, wrist or ankle. However, if it did somehow tear when you are on the water you would likely get some water in the suit but it would not flood in. It is the same principle as above, the outward pressure on the suit from the water would hold it tight to your body. Remember that this technology is not new, it has been used for years on commercial, military and sport dive suits. If people are willing to trust their lives to it when they dive, I would argue we should be comfortable using it in above surface pursuits.

b) how likely is it that a seal gives way? i'd rather replace one before it fails, so how often should one do that, and where should one do that best (at OR itself?) and what will the cost aprrox. be (located in europe btw)?

Seals will generally last you 3 full seasons of use. Tires on a car are the best comparison though, if you drive a lot you will need to replace them more often. That being said:
- Avoid oil based lubricants or sun tan lotion as the oil will break the seal down
- Do not store the suit next to an electrical motor (fridge, compressor, pump) as these motors produce Ozone which breaks the seal down.

Replacing the seal yourself is simple and can be done quite quickly. Our drysuit manual is available online. Instructions start at page 13. The replacement seals are €20 to €27 for neck or wrist and ankle pairs.

2) How strong must i imagine the lycra skin compared to a double/lined neoprene suit

The standard Pyro Lite is made with a 200 denier fabric backed with polyurethane. The Pro is made with the same fabric and is bolstered with 400 denier overlays on the knees and bum. The Surf suit is made with a 70 denier version of this same material and a Lycra skin. All in all these suits will have roughly the same durability.

You would need to really whack yourself with a fin or board edge to ever cut these suits that way. The only real way to rip one of our suits is to snag it on something sharp. I am sorry I can not provide more insight than to tell you that the suits are designed with durability in mind and made with high quality materials. I have worked for our company for over 4 years now and I have not seen a single suit come back with a rip that was not started by something very sharp as a puncture. Slashes will not cut the suit, the worst they will do is give the suit a small fabric burn.

We sell easily applied patch kits that can be used to patch holes in the suit, they are applied with a dry glue that is heat activated with a heat gun or hair dryer and weighted over night to set.

3) when i get to that part of the extra lycra, how's the use of an waist harness on the suit

Yes, you will get some shifting when riding, particularly when switching to toeside. This is almost welcomed however as it allows a smoother transition. It is important to note that this suit was designed for surfing but that we have seen kiters take a liking too it as well. We will have to see how the suit stands up over time to the different strains that kiting equipment puts on the suit. Our owner has been using his suit for over a year for all water pursuits including kiting and we have not yet found any issues with the suit as a result.

4)i read that some guy's got out of the water wet but from the sweat, i like to be warm in winter, but i don't fancy a sweat bath, so does that problem go away when you know what layer's you should use? is a single tight fleece skin (as your undergarments) sufficient or should one alway's wear polypro underwear under that as well?

Never wear under our suits cotton material. Always wear a poly pro or similar synthetic fleece base layer designed to wick moisture away from your body and to the outside of the material. Our Heat base layer opperates in exactly this way. The layer closest to your skin is hydrophobic and moves the water to the absorbant outer layer. This keeps you warm and dry during your ride. Once done you will want to dry (and likely wash) the base layer though as it will be damp. You certainly will not be soaking wet!

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions post them here so we can share information with the public. If you require quick responces though drop us a line at sales@oceanrodeo.com

John

[WILCO]

Hey john,

Thanks for jumping in here too... highly appreciated information, i'm almost a wettie -> dry convert by the looks of it, just awaiting the demo, and if not possible possibly takin' the gamble (got some other guy's interested as well), but rather wouldn't fork out big and than turns out i'm a wettie addict (hate the cold and changing though)..the "feel" just can't be experienced without a demo so i've hopes it's going to happen someday ... Cold season is coming in fast now

[ORSales]

Wilco,

I would talk to your local dealer, likely Stormchaser. I would wager a guess that Wouter would be willing to mail you a demo suit for you to try...though I don't want to put words in his mouth!

North American customers can contact their local shops or us directly for the chance to try some demo suits. I have sent suits out to a number of customers for trial purposes and have not had 1 come back yet. Honestly, not 1.

JZ

[aman]

Received my pyro surf and the underwear a week ago.

I have a few first remarks beside the point that it all seems to be great.

I have a fly in my longjohn which is great because i plan wearing it snowboarding in cold conditions. What about a zipper in the suit

The underwear is a lot thicker than thermo underwear it is more like fleece.

You really want the combi with the underwear because it makes putting on the suit a lot easyer.

I really miss the hot shower for half an hour to get warm after a session in my wetsuit

a short and a rashy fit easaey over the suit to protect it

It totally feels like cheeting, so nice and warm.

The feeling is much closer to sailing in shorts than in a wetsuit. It is a lot lighter and freedom of movement. You just don't feel the thing

The double cuffs for your booties and handshoes are great. it makes the suit almost a one piece with them.


Aloha

more later when it gets colder. (it is now 10 C air and 9 C water) I only am wearing the longjohn and not yet the shorty and it is really hot. I sometimes take of the cap to loose some heat.

[vinnyv2]

I have this suit here in Seattle, I put on a double layer of fleece and was sweating underneath, no kidding. At 51 degrees and still at 41 degrees out. Even pumping up my kite will make me sweat in it, guess I need to wear less underneath. After 25 years of wetsuiting it (for windsurfing), I'm finally warm! I just got the gloves and booties also, they seem warmer and thinner and easier to get on and off. Now we're talking progress.
Vinny

[saintofwind]

Can anybody comment on the breathability of the Ocean Pyro Surf verses the Pyro Pro? Is the Pro so breathable that there's no condensation? Is the Surf the same way? Is there some condensation with the Pro and a just little more with the Surf? Or is there a lot more with the surf? Can you expect the same amount of condensation in the Surf that you see with a Gill drysuit? Appreciate any precise feedback you can offer.